News

MISSISSIPPI STATE – When Raja Reddy came to Mississippi State University from India 25 years ago, he saw opportunities for his family and for his research. As an agricultural scientist, he understands the concept of reaping what he sows.

But he did not expect his career to take him back to India to give those same opportunities to other curious students.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University graduate student recently took part in an elite group meeting with policymakers in Washington, D.C.

Jesse Morrison, a doctoral student and research associate in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, was one of 16 graduate students and scientists from around the country who participated in Future Leaders in Science, a program designed to raise awareness and support in Congress for science and research funding.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University has a new source for health-related programs.

TYLERTOWN -- Mississippians looking to raise a glass to celebrate “June is Dairy Month” with local producers may be drinking their milk alone.

Walthall County Extension agent Richard Hay has seen a drastic change in dairy numbers in his county since he arrived in 1984.

“We had more than 200 dairy farms when I started my Extension career in Walthall County. Today, the number is closer to 14,” he said. “The good news is if you are still in the business, you are one tough dairy farmer.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Terence Norwood understands that “Making the Best Better” starts with individuals who are determined to make a difference.

That’s why he worked to radically change the voting process at the 4-H State Club Congress, an annual event that brings the state’s top 4-H’ers to the Mississippi State University campus for three days of workshops, competitions, performances and elections.

RIDGELAND -- Two Mississippi State University apparel, textiles, and merchandising students recently took home honors from the 2014 Project Rezway fashion show in Ridgeland.

Laura Richardson, a sophomore from Madison, won best in show and first place in the high fashion category. Jesse Newton, a sophomore from Eupora, won first place in evening couture.

The annual fashion show focuses on the use of recycled materials. Richardson and Newton based their designs on materials donated by their sponsor for the event, Southwire Company.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University food science professor has been named a fellow in an international professional organization.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Despite most people’s fears, snakes are an important part of our natural world and are also helpful to us in many ways.

All snakes are predators, meaning they feed on other animals. Snakes kill and eat rats, mice, moles, insects and other pests that can damage crops and property or spread disease. Because snakes can get into places that other predators cannot or will not go, they can capture rodents that threaten livestock feed or farming equipment and supplies.

KOSCIUSKO -- Because it happens out of sight, soil compaction is a problem that can be hard to recognize and even harder to fix, but it takes a financial toll when ignored.

Compacted soil has a dense layer somewhere below the surface where individual soil particles are pressed together more tightly than normal. In many cases, roots are unable to penetrate the compacted layer of soil, limiting plants’ access to moisture and nutrients.

STONEVILLE – Jennifer Corbin is one of a kind.

A Mississippi State University research associate at the Delta Research and Extension Center, Corbin is the only female rice researcher at the Stoneville center and the most senior on her project.

In fact, she’s the station’s only female research associate in field crops.

Ag research isn’t even a field she ever imagined she would choose for her career.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The eyes of the barrel-racing nation will turn to the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville on Oct. 17.

The Mississippi State University facility will host a qualifying event for The American, a major national rodeo. Parts of the qualifier will be broadcast nationally on RFD-TV and live-streamed over the Internet. This competition is on the first of a three-day event that also will include the Better Barrel Racing Eastern Regional Finals and Horse Poor Barrel Races.

You can hardly miss the yellow flowers of Coreopsis lanceolata along highways in the summer, so it’s easy to see why this is the state wildflower of Mississippi.

Several species of the plant fall under the common name of tickseed. Coreopsis lanceolata grows up to 2 feet tall along roadsides and in prairie-type sites. Its flowers are daisy-like with bright yellow petals and centers.

JACKSON -- Most peanut growers are on schedule despite the cool, wet weather that hit Mississippi at the beginning of May.

“We are in pretty good shape all over the state,” said Jason Sarver, peanut specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. “The cool, wet spell we had set some folks back, but only by a week or so. Depending on this summer’s conditions, their harvest might be pushed a little later, but nothing extreme.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fields that appear lush and green from the highway may be deceiving: Plant roots could be struggling to grow and find resources because of underground soil compaction.

Compacted soil has usually been compressed when equipment travels over it, forming a dense layer somewhere below the surface. The depth of this layer and its thickness depend on a variety of factors, including soil texture, moisture, organic matter and past use.

STONEVILLE -- Mississippi rice producers may need to intensify their treatment of the most important late-season pest in rice based on new recommendations from researchers at the Delta Research and Extension Center.

Jeff Gore is a Mississippi State University Extension Service entomologist at the Stoneville station who conducts research with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. He said past recommendations for rice stink bug treatment were based on a time frame rather than a growth stage.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University faculty member Rita W. Green will serve another year on a key policymaking board for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Twice a year, I get the urge to do something “wild” in my backyard. Now, granted, this is something I could do year-round in my neck of the woods, but the sounds of the birds and the bees twittering and buzzing away -- usually in the spring and fall -- really get me excited.

My foray into the wild side begins with identifying what my backyard already has to offer in the way of food, water, shelter and a place to raise young. My venture: to fill in the gaps.

LOUISVILLE -- Disaster assessment teams with the Mississippi State University Extension Service are providing “boots on the ground” as agricultural landowners begin the process of recovering from the April 28 storms.

“These trained teams can assess immediate and long-term needs,” said Elmo Collum, a disaster response coordinator with the MSU Extension Service. “They may discover issues that need to be addressed immediately, such as an injured animal, or they may see things that will take weeks of effort, such as fence repair.”

JACKSON – For Extension agents, education is more than the exchange of information. It’s personal. It is a connection to their students and a sense of responsibility for the outcomes.

It’s been that way since 1914, when the Cooperative Extension Service was established by the Smith-Lever Act. In the past 100 years, the organization, now known in the state as the Mississippi State University Extension Service, has delivered research-based information to Mississippians that helped them raise crops, livestock and families.

BEAUMONT – Gardeners can learn techniques and tips for producing vegetables and fruits during the annual field day at the Mississippi State University Beaumont Horticulture Unit on July 12.

The Vegetable Field Day is open to professional growers and others interested in growing their own food.

Experts with the MSU Extension Service, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and Auburn University will discuss a variety of topics, from pest management for small producers to the best grape varieties for the South.